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Department of Homeland
Security ("DHS") Report Card
Progress and Achievements to Date - Fact or Flypaper? Based on your reading of Flynn's book AMERICA THE VULNERABLE and any other sources included in the "Supplementary Resources and References" folder, how would you rate the progress and achievements of the Department of Homeland Security and our national homeland security program? Please provide specific examples or evidence to support your assessment. Author: Jonathan B. Smith Date: December 2, 2004 Michigan
State University 's School of Criminal Justice I find it ironic that this question is being posed the week that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge resigned his post. The news media is filled with opinions regarding Secretary Ridge's accomplishments and effectiveness as the leader of DHS. The general consensus in the media is that Secretary Ridge has done a good job of integrating 22 agencies and 180,000 employees, but there remain significant deficiencies in interagency information sharing, intelligence capabilities, systems integration and most importantly the physical security of the nation (Sarkar, 2004). The debate about DHS's effectiveness will continue to rage for the foreseeable future, the reality is that President George W. Bush and Secretary Ridge stepped up to the plate and took on a daunting task and executed it with strong leadership, grace and determination. What is the Yard Stick for Measuring DHS's Progress and Achievements? As an accountant by training and a business owner, I beleive that it is important to gauge success on a set of objective measures. In the case of DHS, I believe that there is no better metric than to measure incidence of major terrorism in the U.S. under their watch.
Based upon Flynn's Principle # 6: Deterrence Value of Homeland Security the efforts seem to be bearing some fruit (Flynn, 2004, p. 166). The counter argument to this position states that the terrorist's methods are to meticulously plan and wait for the opportune moment to attack. Perhaps the terrorists have not found the ideal timing or location to exploit? This may be true, but I tend to agree with Flynn's Principle # 1: Fail Safe Security is Unachievable and Counterproductive and support the notion that mitigation, cooperation, proper legislation and good intelligence are our best wepons against the assymetrical threats posed by the terrorists (Flynn, 2004, p. 165). DHS has made some positive improvements in our homeland security and by the most basic measurement they have been successful - there has been no major terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11. I work in the homeland security field and have spent a great deal of time speaking with security specialists around the globe. The general consensus in the industry is that security measures are designed to mitigate the risks and the best strategy is one that involves a layered defense. This fall I was fortunate enough to hear Senator Carl Levin, Ranking Member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services and Member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, speak in a private forum about the Global War on Terror. His main thesis was that we need to strengthen our relationships with our allies and maintain a positive reputation globally; both of which have been materially damaged by our actions in Iraq. In this case, I believe that we need to reevaluate some of our foreign policies and critically consider Flynn's Principle #3 Homeland Security Requires Forging and Sustaining New Partnerships at Home and Abroad (Flynn, 2004, p. 166). Senator Levin's thesis supports the aforementioned layered defense strategy and also helps to substantiate my position that "Homeland Security is Everyone's Responsibility." Entrepreneurship has helped give me a unique perspective on the meaning of success. In my career, I have found the instinct to strive for perfection has often proven to be paradoxically counterproductive. I admire Thomas Edison and believe that one of his most redeeming qualities was his ability to perpetually innovate:
I believe that it is critical that we as a nation continue to innovate and create new strategies, defenses and partnerships to help maintain our homeland security. We have clearly made some progress towards creating a better system for homeland security and there is certainly a lot of work left to be done. My hope is that we continue to "innovate, adapt and overcome" and avoid getting paralyzed intellectualizing. Flypaper Theory The theory contends that the War in Iraq has created a magnet for terrorists that has diverted their attention from fighting on U.S. soil to the battlefield in Iraq.
Is the Flypaper Theory the reason that we have not seen another majorattack on U.S. soil or is it the effectiveness of our homeland security initiatives? Works Cited Flynn,
S. (2004). America the vulnerable: How our government is failing to protect
us from terrorism. Martineau,
Gerald. (2004). "Ridge Leaving Cabinet." The Washington Post. Sarkar,
Dibya. (2004). "DHS finds merger no small task." FCW.com. Ryan,
Shannon. (2004) "The Flypaper Theory / / Pop Up." CommonWealthClub.org. Wave
Dispersion Technologies, Inc. (2004). "Bridge Piling / Pier Fender
Protection Systems." WhisprWave.com
Advisory
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